Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/education/why-chicago-teachers-strike-really-about-better-schools


***SNIP

But at its heart, the strike is over the union's deep opposition to what it calls a "corporate reform agenda" that pursues a competitive or punitive relationship with teachers, rather than a collaborative one. Examples include blaming teachers and unions for educational shortcomings, promoting private but publicly financed charter schools, focusing on high-stakes tests and tying pay to merit.

CTU has instead pushed for smaller classes, enriched curriculum, better supplies and facilities, fairer and fuller funding (including the return of some public revenue long diverted into " TIFs" to subsidize developers), more counselors and support staff, respect for teacher professionalism, and a bigger say for teachers in their schools.

That clash puts the union at odds with CPS, the mayor and President Obama--whose education secretary, Arne Duncan, boosted the corporate-reform agenda as former Mayor Richard M. Daley's school superintendent. It also represents a more forceful rejection of such reforms than espoused by the national union, which nonetheless supports the CTU strike.

Unfortunately, CTU's leaders have not pierced effectively through the cloud of misinformation coming from the mayor and allies (including groups with a financial stake in charter schools) to make clear what they're for and against. Also, a new state law limits the union's ability to negotiate many of the most important policy issues.

[sabrina 1]

1. Rahm passed new laws that make it impossible for them to strike over

the issues they really want to protest. It has to be about money. That is why the media is saying it is about salaries.

The Union leaders need to get on TV and talk about the profiteering going on with Public School funds.

All polls show that a huge majority of Americans oppose Corporate greed and that is what this is.

Bush laid the foundation for this with his Businessmen generated 'education' reform known as NCLB. Not a single educator was involved in the development of this system. It was designed BY businessmen FOR businessmen. And that is what the 'teaching to the test' is all about. Bush's friends in the Educational Publishing business who produce these tests have made a fortune from this program.

NCLB needs to be abolished and a real education program, developed by Educators, needs to take its place. This program has been a spectacular failure from the pov of education, but a huge success from the POV of Corporations.

[xchrom]

2. public school teachers and their unions every where have to do a better job

of getting out in front of the narrative.

and not just teachers -- the left in general must do a better job on getting out in front of the narrative and controlling it -- we let the narrative slip in wisconsin -- and look what happened. and we had a good coalition.

i hope the teachers union reaches out to who ever can help them create the narrative -- get out in front of it and stay there.

[msanthrope]

4. What law did "Rahm" pass? Kindly cite the statute to which you refer. nt

[msanthrope]

3. Class size is off the table, as is school day length. Should the independent arbitrator's report

report be implemented? Both sides seem to hate it, so maybe that's a good place to start.